Lexington, Ky. – The No. 3 Transylvania women's basketball team once again displayed its two-way versatility in a 64-36 win over the Manchester University Spartans on Wednesday afternoon at the Beck Center.

Grace Shope opened up the day with a monster first half, scoring all 13 of her points in the opening half to provide an early boost for the Pioneers, who cruised the victory the rest of the way by holding Manchester to 27 percent field-goal shooting in the final half.

Transylvania's record improved to 15-0 overall and 7-0 in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference play, continuing its best start in program history. Manchester dropped to 7-8 overall and 4-4 in conference play.

The Pioneers came out of the gate sharp in the early afternoon midweek contest, using an inside strike from Laken Ball along with back-to-back triples by Shope and Kennedi Stacy to set up an 8-0 lead for another wire-to-wire victory.

Madison Kellione knocked down a three-pointer with 3:43 to go in the opening quarter for a 13-4 Transy lead, and Shope hit her second shot from downtown with 1:51 left in the first quarter, sending the Pioneers to the break with a 20-11 advantage.

Shope began the second quarter with back-to-back baskets including a left corner threeball, handing the Pioneers a 25-11 advantage. Ball took the scoring baton from Shope, scoring on successive possessions on the way to a game-high 18 points, including 10 in the first half.

Holding a 36-22 halftime lead over Manchester, the Pioneers offered the Spartans little in the way of scoring opportunities in the second half as the visitors were held to just 14 points after halftime.  

The 36 points by Manchester matched the lowest scoring output by a Pioneer opponent for the second time over the last four games.

Ball finished the day with 18 points on 8 of 14 shooting, nine rebounds, and two assists. Dasia Thornton and Kellione added four assists apiece while Emilie Teall provided a game-high two blocks off the bench.

Transylvania returns to action at home on Saturday, January 29 versus the Bluffton University Beavers. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. from the Beck Center.

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